Lady Gaga’s Producer Didn’t Want to Make Any Music After ‘Artpop’

Lady Gaga’s Artpop is, in a word, over-the-top. Its music is a lot more experimental and bizarre than the “Poker Face” singer‘s other work, much less the average pop album. One of the producers of Artpop said that crafting the record drained him, partly because he had to spend so much time in the studio to finish it. The producer said that he had no desire to make other records after working on Artpop.

Lady Gaga’s ‘Artpop’ made a record producer look like he was 150 years old

DJ White Shadow isn’t a household name, but millions of people have downloaded his songs. He worked with Gaga on hits like “The Edge of Glory,” “Applause,” and “Do What U Want.” During a 2021 interview with Entertainment Weekly, DJ White Shadow said he was burnt out after serving as one of the producers of Gaga’s Artpop.

“I never wanted to make another record for the rest of my life once that was done,” he recalled. “It was so bad. I was finished. I have a picture of me walking out of [recording studio] Record Plant after it was over, and I look so f****** terrible. I look like I’m 150 years old. I slept in Record Plant for a month.”

DJ White Shadow did work with Lady Gaga again

While working with the “Perfect Illusion” singer caused DJ White Shadow to get sick of making music, he ended up working with Gaga again. He revealed what made him get back into music. “I did some good stuff [with other artists] and when A Star Is Born got started, she called,” he recalled. 

“I watched Joanne happen,” the DJ continued. “Mark Ronson is a friend of mine [but] I was happy to sit it out. We talked all the time. I went to watch stuff in the studio, I listened to the record, my brain wasn’t into making stuff at that point. For A Star Is Born, I knew everything was more stable and a better foundation to build the house on.”

Several ‘Artpop’ songs charted but only 1 was a hit

Artpop became a modest hit for a major star like Gaga. The record topped the Billboard 200 for a single week, lasting on the chart for 29 weeks. That might sound like a big hit, but it wasn’t a huge deal compared to other Gaga records. The singer’s previous album, Born This Way, was No. 1 for two weeks and lasted on the chart for 61 weeks in total.

Several songs from Artpop charted. The most prominent was “Applause,” which climbed to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for 23 weeks. “G.U.Y.,” “Do What U Want,” “Dope,” and “Venus” each charted but none of them managed to reach the top 5. In fact, Artpop became the singer’s first LP that didn’t produce a No. 1 single. A casual Gaga fan probably won’t be able to name any of the songs from Artpop besides “Applause.”

Regardless, some listeners love Artpop. They feel it’s a bold, brave album for eschewing the typical sounds of pop music for something more avant-garde. In their opinion, Artpop more than lives up to its title.

DJ White Shadow had a hard time working on Artpop but he eventually came back to Mother Monster.